A Day In The Life
by xDarcyDarknessx
Summary: A lot can happen in a day. Twenty-four hours in the lives of Yamato Ishida and Taichi Yagami.
1. Prologue

**A Day in the Life **by xDarcyDarknessx

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

Warning: Boy x boy (whatever word you want to use for it), language, violence.

--*--

A Day In The Life – Prologue

--*--

Yamato Ishida curled up closer to the toned body next to him. He could smell his lover's hair, and was intoxicated on its scent. Everything was perfect. The blonde teen felt secure and safe in his best friend's arms.

He opened his eyes reluctantly and sat up a little. He wanted to watch Taichi sleep. He had seen the brunette sleeping before, but never before had he looked so calm, so at peace. A small smile graced Tai's lips, and seeing it made Yamato smile, too.

The sleeping boy began to stir. Yamato ran a pale hand through his friend's chestnut brown hair as Tai opened his eyes. Seeing Yamato, his smile grew wider. He opened his mouth. His voice was so beautiful…

"Yamato, I love y- BEEPBEEPBEEP!"

A still smiling Yamato woke up to the sound of his alarm clock ringing, snuggled up with his pillow.

--*--

His best friend's dreams were less pleasant.

Taichi was on the soccer field, feeling the wind blow through his hair. It was the perfect day: not a cloud in the sky, and all of his friends in the stands cheering him on.

Suddenly, the wind turned cold. The sky turned dark. A shiver ran down Taichi's spine as he stopped running, and watched as his teammates stalked towards him. They seemed angry.

It was the right-wing, Francis, who shoved him down first. The others formed a circle around Taichi. Within an instant it seemed as though they were all on him, punching and kicking him senseless. He shut his eyes, trying to ignore the pain. He could hear what they yelled at him now, during the assault. _Homo. Pansy. Faggot._ The names almost hurt more than the physical pain.

Then, the attack ceased. His friends now stood around him, mournful expressions on their faces.

Daisuke was angry. _I looked up to you, Taichi._ Miyako and Iori just looked confused. Takeru stared down at his feet, refusing to make eye contact with Tai. Ken was the only one who looked at him with understanding, maybe even a little pity. He knew what it was like to be hated.

Mimi was crying. Sora looked heartbroken. _I always thought we'd be together eventually, Tai. I guess not._ Koushiro and Jyou were silent, for once in their lives facing an issue simple logic couldn't solve.

Hikari looked disappointed in her brother. Her eyes were brimming with tears. _How could you, Taichi? How can I love you now? We had the perfect family. You've ruined everything. Why'd you go and fuck up like this? _Tai gasped. He had never heard Hikari curse before, and he would never expect her to hate him. She didn't hate anything. Well, except for evil, but Tai wasn't evil… was he?

Tai didn't understand what he had done wrong. Was it really because he was gay? He hadn't told anyone, not a soul. How could they know?

He watched as the Digidestined slowly retreated, leaving him alone, beaten and bruised on the soccer field. A solitary figure approached.

"'Chi?" Yamato's voice was full of worry and concern for the brunette. Taichi could hear him struggling to hold back tears. "Taichi!"

Tai tried to speak, tried to comfort his best friend, but instead he coughed. His throat burned and he tasted blood. He couldn't stop coughing now.

Yamato was panicking. Taichi felt dizzy. He saw light.

*

Taichi opened his eyes to the assaulting light and glanced across his room to see Hikari standing in the doorway. He guessed that she had been the one to turn on the light and save him from his nightmares.

"Come on, 'Chi, hurry up. You'll be late for school again if you don't get your lazy butt out of bed."

Tai bolted out of bed and raced to give his little sister a hug. "I love you, Hikari."

Hikari was surprised at the seemingly random display of affection, but smiled anyway. "Love you too, Taichi. Now go have a shower and I'll make you breakfast."

--*--

Yamato couldn't remember the last time he had felt so happy, and couldn't find the reason for it. He had just woken up that morning with the feeling that everything was going right for once. He didn't remember the dream.

He showered, got dressed in his navy blue school uniform, then returned to the washroom to style his hair and do his makeup.

Yamato had started wearing eyeliner at Teenage Wolves gigs soon after joining the band. He didn't like that whenever his friends, or anyone else for that matter, took a picture, he felt like his eyes looked so tiny and dull, so he had started using the stuff. Just last year he had started wearing it to school, and using cover-up to hide his acne. The reactions from his classmates hadn't all been positive, but the fangirls loved it.

Yamato had to keep the fangirls happy. They were the ones who would buy the albums, wear the t-shirts, come to gigs, promote the band, and give him blowjobs after shows just because he was _Yamato Ishida_ of the _Teenage Wolves_.

--*--

Tai towel dried his hair after getting out of the shower. Wrapping the damp towel around his hips, he headed to the kitchen where Hikari had set out a plate of eggs and toast for him. She had already left for school. _She really does care about me_, he thought, grabbing the plate and heading for his room to try to eat and get dressed simultaneously.

He thought of Ken. As the Digimon Kaiser, Ken had done horrible and seemingly unforgivable things to the Digimon, but as kids they had all looked past that and helped him come out of his shell to grow as a person and realize who he really was. Would the Digidestined accept Tai over something more trivial, like sexuality? He was almost certain that they would. Most, if not all of them, would be there for him, and would talk some sense into anyone who wasn't. Tai smiled, realizing that his dream had probably been very far from reality.

Tai knew he'd have to face his fears sometime. It had always been easier when he was younger and had all of his friends by his side, and he knew that he might need them by his side to help him through this, too. He had to tell them. The worst thing to do would be to bottle the fear up inside him and risk slipping into the darkness, as many of the others had done. Being Digidestined meant that fear was always a very real threat.

He decided that he would tell Hikari first, since she was his little sister, but also because she was the most caring and understanding person Taichi knew. Hikari loved him unconditionally. Next, he would tell his parents, then Yamato, his best friend, then the rest of the Digidestined, and finally, the rest of the world. _Oh, and the Digital World, too._ He didn't know if Agumon and the others were even aware of what sex and sexuality were, but he knew that the little dinosaur would stick by his side no matter what.

Taichi headed down the stairs in his apartment to the parking garage. Climbing into his beat-up Honda, he drove off to school with a heavy weight on his shoulders.

--*--

Yamato finished the last of his cereal, placing the bowl in the sink. He grabbed his blazer and school shoes from the closet next to the front door and pulled them on. Wrapping a black and grey striped scarf around his neck, he headed out the door and towards the bus stop, still unable to shake the feeling that something good was going to happen.

***

Author's Note: How was it? This is the first chapter of my first story, so please review to let me know how I'm doing. The next chapter will be up in a couple of days (a week at most).


	2. Chapter One

Disclaimer/Warning: See prologue chapter. This applies to the entire story.

A Day in the Life – Chapter One

--*--

When Yamato arrived at the school, he was greeted by the muscular brunette who he had dreamed of, who was waiting by his locker. Upon seeing Taichi, Yamato felt his heart flutter and a stupid smile reach his face. _Why am I acting so stupid? It's just Tai_, he thought, but couldn't stop blushing.

"Guess what today is?" Tai asked, with a grin on his face spreading from ear to ear.

"Isn't it the twenty-third? Or do you mean Friday? I get the impression you're going to tell me what today is, so I don't really feel the need to guess."

"That's right; I am going to tell you. It's the last Friday of the month, which means it's time for our monthly sleepover! Yay!"

The monthly sleepover was a tradition Taichi and Yamato had kept ever since their return to the real world after defeating Apocalymon. Yamato had been so busy with school lately that he had forgotten entirely. _Who had it last? We went to Tai's, right? That's means it's my turn to host._ Yamato thought, now worried about getting his apartment tidied before Tai came over. It was "disgraceful", as his mother would have put it back when his family was together. Then again, Yamato had seen Takeru's room, and knew that his mother didn't exactly uphold her standards in there. Compared to his little brother's room, Yamato's house was spotless.

"So did you bring your stuff with you, then, or did you forget?" Yamato asked.

Tai held up his backpack and grinned. "Don't try and think of ways to get me to not come, now. And I know you're thinking about cleaning. You always make it look so nice when I come over, but nobody's that clean. You know I don't mind a little mess, right?"

Yamato exaggerated a defeated sigh. Taichi could read him like a book. And on the flipside, he could read Taichi the same way. Once in a while Tai would do something unexpected, but it happened very rarely.

The brunette was still smiling. "That's right, girlyboy, for one night a month you're stuck with me." He winked.

Yamato scowled. Taichi _knew_ he hated being called feminine, despite any resemblance he might bear to an actual female. Seeing his now-grumpy friend, Taichi quickly became apologetic.

"Sorry, Yama. Word vomit, I guess. Though, if you had by any chance been born a lady, I would be, like, _Rawrrrr._" Taichi laughed, trying his best to put on a cheesy seductive voice. Yamato laughed, too.

Well, the statement was half true. Taichi didn't know if he could ever _not_ be attracted to Yamato because, well… he was just Yamato. Tai wondered if he would still be attracted to him if he were female. He knew that he himself was gay, but he had always loved Yamato, even before discovering that about himself. He did know that he much preferred his friend breastless and be-penised, though.

Still laughing, Yamato grabbed his binder from his locker and they headed to their respective classes: the blonde to Math, the brunette to History.

--*--

History class was boring the hell out of Taichi.

The teacher had handed out thick packages of paper, photocopies from a textbook that the school had probably been too cheap to supply actual copies of. The class had then copied down questions from the blackboard at the front of the class, and was to have them answered by Monday morning. They were given the rest of the period to work on the questions, but Tai couldn't focus and knew full well that he could do the assignment over the weekend.

"Pssst," a whisper came from a desk diagonally behind Taichi. "Hey, Tai, did you catch the game last night?" It was Francis, the right wing on Taichi's soccer team.

Tai groaned. "Missed it. Yama had a gig, sorry. Who won?"

"We did. Those Americans had nothin' on us," Francis gloated, gleaming proudly. "You gotta start watching, Japan is killing it this year. This isn't the first game you've missed because of this Yamato guy! Why do you even hang out with him? He's weird. Did you notice he wears makeup?"

"Yeah, and it looks fine on him. The girls love it. Maybe you should use something to cover your ugly mug?"

"Whatever, man. I'm surprised he hasn't raped you yet, he's such a queer."

Tai practically leaped out of his desk and grasped Francis's shirt by the collar. "Never," he growled, "talk bad about my _friends_, got it?"

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry." Francis's voice was shaking. He was obviously terrified. Taichi was a lot more muscular than he was, and had authority over him as captain of the soccer team, too. "Cool it, man. I didn't mean it. I'm sure he's a cool guy. I didn't mean to offend you." He rambled off more excuses as Tai stomped back to his desk.

The rest of the class just stared in disbelief. Hadn't Taichi always been the carefree guy who seemed to genuinely want to befriend everyone? They had never seen him blow a fuse like this. The teacher didn't even seem to flinch at the disruption. He didn't even look up from his desk, where he was grading papers.

Tai's erratic breathing eventually slowed as he calmed down. He was still pissed off at Francis, but he needed to stay calm. After all, the right-wing had apologized. Taichi needed to stay calm. Still, Francis had planted the seed of an idea in his mind. _Is Yamato really gay?_ Tai brushed it off. No, Yamato loved his fangirls. Still, he could be bi. What straight guy could be that comfortable wearing makeup, and jeans as tight as Yamato did when he was out of school? _It's just his Teenage Wolves rockstar image, though._

Tai buried his face in his hands and resisted the urge to slam his face into the desk below his elbows. He was so _confused…_

--*--

**A/N:**

Thanks **Kumka** for the first review! I'm glad you like it, and look! I updated! Yay! 3

**Moppy**, I hope you know that I got super giddy reading your review, you made my day! 3

**Artemecion**, is this a soon enough update? I checked my email when I took a break from writing for a second and got your review. So, it's been, like, a half hour? Or it will be, by the time I'm done typing and posting.

Thanks also to **Taichi14** and **Narnialover** for adding this story to their favorites and watch, respectively.

I'm so glad you all like it! I'll update in a few days, a week at most.

Love always, _Darcy._


	3. Chapter Two

Yamato and Taichi met in the locker room for their Physical Education class. Yamato was there first when Taichi arrived, and was unbuttoning his shirt. Tai opened his locker to retrieve his gym bag. Instead of beginning to change, he struck up a conversation with his blonde best friend.

"I forgot to tell you earlier, awesome concert last night Yama! The girls were really going crazy over that new song. I loved it, too. It's gotta be one of my new favorites!"

Yamato blushed. "You say that about _every_ song. Are there any you_ don't_ like?"

Tai grinned widely. "Nope!" He really did love Yamato's music, mostly because of how happy performing made his friend.

The blonde folded his shirt, placing it neatly in his locker. He began to fumble with his studded belt, the only personal item he could get away with wearing at school. Before he could even start to move the zipper on his black dress pants, Tai muttered the usual statement he made in gym class.

"I'd better go get changed. See you in the gym!"

The brunette headed off to one of the bathroom stalls in the locker room. Yamato always wondered why Taichi didn't like changing in the main room like the rest of the boys, but he had never bothered to bring it up. If Tai was self-conscious about his body, it was probably better that Yamato didn't pester him about it. At least, that was what the blonde rationed of it.

Yamato finished changing into his mandatory t-shirt and shorts, feeling rather self-conscious himself. The gym clothes were not exactly flattering. They were baggy everywhere, and Yamato's thin, pale limbs looked scrawny in comparison. He much preferred his own fitted clothing over this.

--*--

Joining a now-changed Taichi, the blonde headed into the gymnasium.

They would be playing basketball. Luckily, Taichi and Yamato were on the same team, which meant the blonde's team would win, since Tai was the top student in Gym class. To Yamato, this meant he could put in less effort than usual and still end up with a decent grade. It was a win-win situation.

Today, Tai seemed particularly focused. While the other boys bantered back and forth while playing and while on the bench, the brunette seemed focused on his own world. The other students, including Yamato, noticed how differently Taichi was acting, and some attributed it to what they heard about Tai yelling at his teammate in the previous class. None of them knew why he had done it, as no one else had heard and Francis hadn't told anyone.

In reality, it wasn't altogether very connected with the earlier outburst, but Taichi was feeling particularly stressed today. He decided he would get some of the issues dealt with today, and in order to kill two birds with one stone, he would go next period to see Hikari, and skip his math class. He hadn't done his homework anyways.

--*--

The boys reentered the locker room, dripping in sweat.

"I feel disgusting," Yamato whined. "I hate sweat."

"Relax, Yama, it's not _that_ terrible. And it's supposed to be healthy, too. Gets the toxins out, or something like that." Taichi replied.

"I like to keep my toxins in. They help me write angsty, toxic, Wolves songs." Yamato retorted, beaming in pretend pride.

The boys grabbed their towels and headed to the showers. Tai took his usual stall, farthest from where the other boys showered. There were only seventeen boys in the class, but forty shower stalls to accommodate for the large football and soccer teams, since occasionally the two teams had practice on the same day, and trying to fit them both was… complicated, to say the least. Most of the boys tended to stay near the lockers, but Tai went into the far corner of the room. Nobody bothered him about it, since he was _the soccer captain_ and all that. They let him do what he wanted.

_Still_, Yamato thought, _Taichi shouldn't be self conscious. It's not like his body is anything to be ashamed of_. The blonde allowed the image of a shy Taichi, naked and blushing, to enter his mind. He smiled a little.

"What the fuck?!" An angry voice invaded Yamato's thoughts. Apparently, it was directed at him. He looked up from his daydream to see another boy glaring at him.

"What's going on?" another boy asked.

"This _faggot_ has a hard-on! He's probably been eyein' us up when we aren't lookin'!" the angry boy hissed.

Yamato was stunned. "N-no guys, that's not what happened at all, I j-just, I just… You know I'm not like that. Come on. I-I wouldn't." The other boys were approaching now, wrapping towels around their midsections in fear that the blonde would look at them. If Yamato really did have an erection, it was now long gone. He was terrified, nothing else. He backed up against the tile wall.

_Crack_. Something collided with the side of Yamato's head. His legs felt weak, his head hurt, and his body slowly slid down the cold grey tile wall until he was sitting. His head fell down, unsupported by his neck as tears fell from his eyes.

Taichi had heard the commotion earlier, but had brushed it off. Upon hearing the crack of a hard punch, however, he was frightened. Slinging his towel around his hips, he ran to the scene of the incident.

There was a crowd, and someone was naked on the floor. Pushing through, Tai saw the mop of sopping wet blonde hair. He rushed through to see if his friend was alright. Fuming, he turned to face the other boys.

"What are you looking at!? Who did this? Get out of here! You heard me – get lost!"

Shifting his attention back to the blonde, he felt his own eyes begin to well up with tears.

"Yamato? Yama? Yammie…?" Tai was getting no response, and he was getting desperate. 'Yammie' was a pet name Hikari had used for the blonde back when she was nine and had thought it would be cute to think of pet names for all of her friends. Tai had been 'Tee' and her current boyfriend was 'Tiki'. Taichi had always been fond of the name she had made for the older blonde, but he would never admit it. "Are you okay?"

The blonde cried harder. Tai could see a bruise starting to form at his best friend's right temple, but luckily he wasn't bleeding. _That must have hurt._

"Yama, do you want to tell me who did this? Because I really think I should know. You won't get any trouble from them again, I promise you that."

Yamato shook his head. "I deserved it."

The brunette was shocked. "Yammie, _nobody_ deserves to be hit like that. Especially not you."

Yamato sighed. He tried on a weak smile, but it felt out of place and awkward on his face. He went back to his sad expression. "Tai, I don't want to tell you now. Not here, either. Maybe later, okay? You know I can't keep anything from you for long." It was a lie. Yamato had kept his little fantasies about the brunette _very_ secret for a while now.

"Alright." Tai sighed, picked himself up off the floor and extended a hand out to help the blonde up. Yamato blushed, realizing he was still in his birthday suit. Then a question emerged back into his mind. Now was as good a time as any to ask.

"Tai, why don't you ever change or shower with the rest of us?"

Taichi smiled sadly. "Maybe later, Yama. You know I can't keep anything from you for long, either."

***

A/N

Narnia Lover: I think I replied to yours, right? I forget. Anyways, the Beatles are awesome; I love that song, thanks for reviewing!

Sumi19: Awe, you're too nice. And thanks for picking up on my made-up word! I felt clever when I thought of that.

KoumiLoccness: I agree, I hate Taiora too, mostly because I just don't like Sora. I think the only other couple is gonna be maybe Hikari x Takeru, as I mentioned a wee little bit in this chapter, though I don't think it'll be a big thing. It's mostly just Tai x Yamato.

Art: Yeah, re-reading the last chapter I can see what you mean. This one, too, I think. But I just love writing drama! It's so fun!

Moppy: I think I replied to yours too, but I can never remember these things. Anyways, maybe whipped cream in future chapters, but the sleepovers not going to come until, like, chapter nine or something. So, you'll have to be patient, hopefully you can understand why whipped cream and truth or dare didn't fit into this one. It would have been awesome, though. I would totally want to be in that gym class. Tai, Yamato, and whipped cream? You can count me in, even if it's yucky sweaty exercise.

Takato the Dreamer: Thanks! I'm glad you like it so far. You reviewed like, three hours ago, so here's more! Yay! Hope that's soon enough for you. It's still not as fast as I updated after Art's review last time.

Thanks to Kawaii Kilala 77 and Takato the Dreamer for favoriting this story, and thanks Takato The Dreamer again for adding me to your author alert! I feel so special.

PS. Expect the next update either tomorrow or in, like, ten minutes. I wrote it before this one, I just have to double check it and see if it's all good to go and whatnot. Yay!


	4. Chapter Three

A Day In The Life: Chapter Three

--*--

Yamato rushed to his Biology class, hoping that the teacher had, by some miracle, already marked the previous day's unit test. The blonde was anxious to see his mark; he felt he had done fairly well, and if he was correct, then the good grade could raise his average by quite a bit. Maybe he'd actually make high honors this year.

Yesterday's test meant that the class would start a new unit today, but the Biology teacher, Mr. Hiroshi, was quite… eccentric, to say the least. He had told the class that the new unit would be a 'surprise'. Yamato nearly at the fact that teachers _always_ found their subjects more fascinating than the students did. Hiroshi was probably wetting himself in excitement over letting the class dissect earthworms, or something.

Slowly but surely, the rest of the class filed in after Yamato. As the blonde had begrudgingly anticipated, the tests remained unmarked. He'd have to wait until Monday. Fuck.

"Today, class, I've got something special for you. It's the coolest unit ever! You get to learn the biology of… yourselves! That's right, human biology. And as the first section of this unit is on reproduction, you oughta steady your hormones, kiddies, because Uncle Hiroshi is gonna teach ya 'bout the birds and the bees!"

Yamato had never been so disturbed in his life. He hated when teachers tried to act 'cool'.

Half the class snickered at Mr. Hiroshi's antics while the other half groaned. Yamato didn't know if he could handle the teacher's overly enthusiastic attitude when it came to talking about subjects that were embarrassing enough without the added pep.

"Now class, settle down. The first thing we'll be learning is the male system. Let's get started, shall we?"

Hiroshi turned on the projector, displaying a labeled diagram of a penis and scrotum. Yamato felt a sharp jab in his upper back. He turned to face the desk behind him and glared at its occupant, who he recognized as… _Frank, was it? Fred? Francis? _Francis, _that's it_, one of Taichi's teammates from soccer.

"Betcha like _that_ slide, don't you, Ishida?" he whispered.

"Shut up."

"Boys, is there a problem?" Hiroshi asked.

"It's nothing, sir. Sorry for disturbing the class." Yamato mumbled, embarrassed.

"Actually, sir," Francis cut in, "I was trying to ask Ishida here about the _reproduction_ – or whatever it is they try to do – of faggots. I thought he might know, since he seems the most _experienced_ in that area."

The class roared in laughter. Hiroshi was fuming, but the jock was already failing and could care less if he were kicked out of the class. He'd done the damage he had set out to do. Yamato ran out of the classroom, eyes brimming with tears.

--*--

"Tai, what are you doing here?" Hikari asked when she saw her brother leaning against her locker. "Shouldn't you be back at Odaiba High? I thought you had a class right now."

"I thought we could go for ice cream… I need to talk to you." Taichi replied, forcing a smile so his sister wouldn't worry too much. "Don't worry, I called your school and told them there was a 'family emergency', so you won't be marked as skipping. The excuse isn't too far off base, really… but don't get worried. Nothing's wrong, I just really need to talk with you."

Taichi was visible shaking now and stumbling on his words. Hikari placed a hand on her older brother's shoulder to comfort him. Even though he told her twice not to worry, she couldn't help it. She knew something was upsetting him. She had never seen her brother so scared, not even in the Digital World.

Once Taichi calmed down, the two siblings walked together to his beat-up old Honda Civic and drove to the ice cream shop in silence. When the arrived, Taichi paid for them both – a double cone of Cookies 'N' Cream for Hikari, and a single scoop of vanilla in a bowl for him. He wasn't really in the mood for eating ice cream, or anything else for that matter.

The young girl frowned. She had always known her brother to stack as many chocolaty scoops into the cone as he could, and then try to eat it all before it 'got melty'. He always ended up with chocolate all over his face, and he would grin widely, showing off his now-brown teeth. Hikari would laugh and say, 'Ew, Taichi, shut your mouth', but she really didn't mind. She liked the happy, gross Taichi better than the sulking, dull one she now sat across from in the booth.

Tai shoved the ice cream around in the bowl, watching as it turned into a puddle of sugary milk. Hikari had had enough. She spoke up.

"So, I thought we were going to talk? You haven't done much of that yet, it seems. Am I missing class to just look at you watching that ice cream melt?"

Taichi was silent for a moment longer, not breaking his gaze at the mostly melted ice cream. Then, he stopped.

"I'm sorry, 'Kari. I guess I just don't know where to start. It's something I've been thinking about for a long time now. I know I have the Crest of Courage, but I've changed a lot since those days. It's been over three years since I last went to the Digital World. Those qualities have faded in me now. But I'm not being fair to you. I have to tell you. You're the closest person in my life… I know you'd never leave me, 'Kari. I love you…"

"I love you too, 'Chi, and of course I'd never leave you. Nothing in the world could ever make me stop loving you. But you're hurting me, now, because I can't stand to watch you sulk like this, like you've got no life in you at all. Whatever you've got to say, I'll be here for you. You know you can trust me."

Taichi smiled faintly, but looked skeptical. "I'm a freak, Hikari. I'm a boy, and everyone keeps telling me I should get a girlfriend, that I should find a girl I like. I'm seventeen years old and I've never so much as looked at a girl… that way, Hikari. I know you don't like hearing about these things from your big brother, but it's been bothering me, and you're the only one I feel like I can talk to about this. I guess what I'm getting at is… I like boys. I'm gay, Hikari. I'm sorry."

Hikari got out of her seat and slid next to her brother, hugging him tightly. He was crying now. She spoke softly in his ear, "You're perfect, Taichi, and don't you ever forget that. You've got nothing to be sorry for. You never need to apologize for being yourself. I love you."

--*--

Yamato spent the last half hour of his biology class in the washroom. Mr. Hiroshi had come in at one point, telling Yamato that he wouldn't mark him absent or tell the principal and his parents about the incident if the blonde thought it would cause more trouble from the other students. Yamato nodded and thanked his teacher. _Maybe sometimes he's an okay guy_. After clearing things up with Yamato, the teacher went back to finish teaching the class.

The blonde boy stood from the toilet he had been sitting on and walked across the room to wash his face. His eyes looked like a raccoon from where his eyeliner had smudged. _No wonder they call me a faggot,_ he thought bitterly, wiping it off of his face with a dampened paper towel.

After getting himself cleaned up, Yamato decided to go sit on the lawn outside of the school. The atmosphere of the grimy washroom was beginning to intimidate him. He sat under a large birch tree on the school's large front lawn and watched the cars drive past.

Soon, a car sputtered to a stop directly in the blonde's line of vision. Yamato saw the mess of brown hair stepping out of the beat-up Honda Civic. _Oh no_, Yamato thought. _What am I going to tell Taichi?_

***

A/N – That's right, two updates. I'm pretty sure I don't gotta mention any reviewers, because no one would have had the time to read chapter two in the time it took me to put this up. GO DARCY! There, the thanks go to me for being AWESOME.


	5. Chapter Four

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, as previously mentioned, and in regards to this chapter, I also don't own "Warmth of the Sand" by Dashboard Confessional, which as far as I know comes from the gorgeous mind of Christopher Ender Carrabba.

With that, here you go.

***

A Day In The Life: Chapter Four

--*--

Taichi approached the tree Yamato was rested against. Anxious to distract the brunette from the fact that he wasn't in class, Yamato struck up conversation.

"Skipping math again? Did you have a test or something?"

The brunette chuckled. "No, I only missed the last day's assignment, which I didn't do. The teacher was gonna do a homework check, and Hikari called me to bring her backpack, anyways. She forgot it at home."

"Hikari, forgetful? Wow. The younger ones are really changing. I used to think, that when we were younger, they were always more focused than us. They kept us in line and always looked at the bright side of things. But now… just last weekend when Takeru visited, he came home drunk. He's only fourteen! It's ridiculous. We weren't rebellious like that." Yamato thought out loud.

"Weren't we? I mean, aren't we now? I'm skipping class and don't think I don't notice you're not in Biology, Mr. Ninety-Two Percent Average." Yamato looked at the ground. _So Tai did notice._ The brunette continued. "We've got our issues and our problems. And we experimented with that stuff when we were that age, too. Takeru's a smart kid. He won't get caught up in any of it."

The blonde knew his best friend was right. After all, he saw Takeru just as often as Yamato did, maybe even more since his brother began dating Hikari.

"So why aren't you in Biology? Is what happened in the gym still getting to you? I guess you needed a break, huh."

Yamato took the excuse Taichi offered. Thinking about it, he supposed it was at least partially true, even if he hadn't known it before. He nodded.

Then, Tai grinned. "It's lunch break now. You already missed one class, how about one more? We could go for a picnic on the beach by the Hikari and Takeru's school, maybe they could come too. Miyako's family's store is right on the corner there, too, so we could pick up some sandwiches and cans of soda for everybody. It's been so long since I've seen Daisuke, or Miyako, or Iori, and Ken too."

Yamato smiled. It had been a long time since he had seen most of the younger Digidestined, too. The older kids hadn't even bothered to visit them once since they started junior high school, and Ken had decided that it was worth the longer subway ride to go to school with his friends. The older boys still kept in touch with the younger ones, especially since Koushiro kept in contact with them through email. They knew what the kids were up to, but had never actually seen them in a long time.

"Sounds like fun." the blonde concluded.

With that, they climbed into Taichi's car, and headed towards the junior high school.

--*--

Yamato almost gasped, seeing the younger Digidestined again. They had all changed so drastically.

Daisuke no longer looked like a miniature Taichi replica. His unruly hair had tamed a bit, while the older boy's stayed as wild as ever. His hair had also grown out a bit, and fell into a shag just below his ears. He had heavy sideburns and a pair of aviator sunglasses tucked into the front of his red t-shirt, and he wore dark wash, straight-leg jeans. White running shoes that looked clean and new completed his outfit.

Miyako's hair had been cut to her shoulders and she had bangs that swept to the side. She had abandoned her glasses the previous year for contact lenses, and wore a loose brown cardigan and camisole with a pair of light denim shorts, which Yamato decided were entirely too short for her to wear, and not really suiting the weather. He still couldn't shake the idea that the people before him were _children_, and not growing teenagers. Her thin legs looked fragile to the blonde, as she had grown quite tall and lanky.

Since Iori hadn't been able to come, being that he was still in elementary school, and the two older boys didn't have to reunite with their own siblings, the last old friend they greeted was Ken. The raven-haired boy, Yamato knew, had just turned 15, since his birthday was a few weeks before Takeru's. He wore a black hooded sweater and his blue-tinted hair had been dyed black, falling tangled and messy down to just above his shoulders, and pushed dramatically across his face, covering one, if barely both of his eyes. His jeans were tight, the same style Yamato wore when he wasn't in his school uniform. The junior high had done away with the green blazers the year after Tai and Yamato graduated, much to the older boys' misfortune. Despite Ken's ragged appearance, he still smiled widely and genuinely at the blonde.

They set their things out on the beach, Tai spreading out the blanket that he usually kept in the back seat of his car across the sand.

With the younger children pulling lunches out of their purses and backpacks, Taichi reached into the plastic convenience store bag, white with a yellow and green logo, and pulled out two turkey sandwiches in disposable plastic containers, handing one to Yamato. Once everyone was settled, the conversation did, too, as the old friends reunited after nearly a year apart.

"Still playing soccer, Daisuke?" Tai asked, grinning. The auburn-haired boy nodded, and grinned.

"We're still a little bit alike, Taichi, so don't worry."

"That's good. I'd hate to lose one of my admirers." the older boy joked.

Ken struck up his own conversation with the older of the two blondes on the beach. "How's the band, Yamato?"

"Pretty good, thanks. We're going to start recording a new EP soon. Are you still playing the piano, like you used to?"

The dark-haired boy shook his head, laughing when his hair fell into his face even more. He pushed it behind his left ear, revealing his bold violet eyes to Yamato. "No. But I've been trying to learn to scream, you know, like some bands do... it sounds pretty stupid, I guess." A pale shade of rose spread dimly across his cheeks, and he broke his confident eye contact with Yamato.

"Not at all, Ken. Don't be embarrassed about it." Then an idea struck him. "Why don't you come by our practice space tomorrow afternoon? You probably haven't tried with a band yet, right? We can run through a few songs, if you want."

Ken grinned again. "That sounds great."

After everyone finished their lunches, Takeru announced that the younger kids had fifteen more minutes until they should head back to the school for classes. He and Hikari headed down the beach to look for shells, Taichi joining them to make sure they didn't get into any trouble.

"So, Yamato," Daisuke began, "have you got a girlfriend yet? The last one I knew about was Sora, and I heard you guys split. You must've had a new one since her, though."

The blonde shook his head, a little embarrassed. He hadn't been in a serious relationship with anyone since Sora, and they broke up when he was fifteen. "I guess I'm holding out for the right person. I think there's someone I like, but I'm not ready to make my move with them, yet, if at all."

Daisuke laughed. "Trust the musician to be a hopeless romantic in unrequited love with some mystery girl."

Ken, however, had a closed eye for detail than Daisuke. _Person… someone… them…_ it was as if Yamato were intentionally avoiding saying he liked a girl. _Interesting._

--*--

Soon, the younger teens left to return to their afternoon classes, and Yamato and Taichi were left alone on the beach. They wandered down the beach, looking for shells, listening to Yamato's iPod, each boy taking one ear bud.

Yamato scrolled through songs, finally getting the idea to switch to his "Sappy love songs" playlist. The scene was so perfect. He was walking on the beach with the boy he liked, the cool autumn wind blowing through their hair, barefoot in the sand. They had left their school blazers in Taichi's car, their shoes and socks on the blanket, and the brunette had unbuttoned the top few buttons of his shirt.

The brunette suddenly knelt down, rolling up the bottom of his dress pants. "Come on," he said, and the blonde quickly rolled his own pants up, too. Grabbing Yamato's hand fiercely, Taichi pulled him in the water until it reached just below his knee.

_Relax and stand in the warmth of the sand_

_The day is long, and here for us to take for granted_

_And find ourselves to our knees in water clear_

_A tender breeze upon our faces as we bask in our good graces_

_Yes, we all are golden here._

_It's summer, it's summer, where night belongs to lust and lovers_

_It's summer, it's summer, and I am here to win you over_

_You will be mine this year._

A tiny smile graced Yamato's face. This moment, being here with Taichi…

_This is perfection._

He was so glad he had skipped, but he knew that the moment would end soon enough. They had to go back for their English class, the only class other than Phys. Ed that they shared. As beautiful as the moment was, it had to end sometime. They walked back down the beach, collected their socks and shoes, and climbed back into Taichi's car for the ride back to school.

***

Thanks:

Takato the Dreamer – I know, I felt bad for making everybody keep picking on Yama. Finally, a chapter where everybody is nice to him! As far as I can remember, I got punched twice (or at least twice where it actually hurt, but the guys at my school were weaklings). I just pissed off the wrong people, I guess.

Narnialover – Francis totally deserves to get his ass kicked. But they don't have any more classes with him… I think I might be setting myself up for this to turn into "Two Days In The Life", or "A Week In The Life", but that just doesn't have the same ring to it… I'll have to think of something clever. Because this is definitely not the last time I wanna write Ken parts. I love Ken.

Okay, everyone who didn't review, you better review this time. It fluffs my ego and makes me write better. Or maybe not. But it makes me more willing to write. Did you see how long it took for this update? Like, a week! Maybe more, I forget! They come sooner when you review. Actually, I'm just being a bitch to you guys; I have the next chapter completely written. I wrote it before this one. So I'll post it pretty soon.

Love always,

Darcy.


	6. Chapter Five

A Day In The Life: Chapter Six

--*--

The last class of the day was English. Taichi was thankful when the teacher entered the class, five minutes late, carting a television into the room on a rolling stand. _All we're doing today is watching a movie_. It was at least an escape from doing actual work, and sometimes the films teachers showed were actually interesting.

"Alright, today we're going to be watching a film about life in South America. We're going to learn about the daily lives of people who live in the same place as the protagonist of the book we've just finished reading in class."

The daily lives of said people were, apparently, ridiculously boring. Taichi leaned forward in his desk, crossing his arms over his binder and then laying his head down upon them. It was much more comfortable and he could still see the small television screen at the front of the classroom just fine. Yamato, ever the good student, was sitting with perfect posture in the seat ahead of him, at full attention and probably loving every second of the stupid film. The classroom was dark, but he could still see the shine of the blonde's beautiful hair from the light of the screen. _Yama is so pretty…_

Taichi felt his eyelids grow heavy as the voice of the screen grew murky and dull to his ears. _No!_ He needed to stay awake. _Yama, that's what I'll focus on. This stupid movie is going to make me fall asleep in class, but Yama is interesting enough to focus on._ He watched the blonde hair glisten before him, all he wanted was to reach out and touch it, Yamato's beautiful golden locks.

And so he did. Taichi suddenly felt very awake as he reached out his hands and stroked Yamato's golden hair, gently at first, and then more assertively. At first it seemed that the blonde hadn't noticed, but shortly afterwards he was leaning backwards into Taichi's touch. The brunette's hands wandered down to where Yamato's neck met his shoulders. The blonde tensed but quickly relaxed as Taichi began rubbing his fingers into the flesh, relaxing Yamato more as the blonde let out a soft moan.

Taichi paused and quickly glanced around the room. No one in class appeared to have noticed the sound coming from the class's top student, in fact no one was in the class _to_ notice. Yamato and Taichi were alone, for some strange reason, and when Tai looked back at the blonde boy, he noticed something that was even stranger.

Yamato was turned around in his desk, legs parted to either side of the backrest. But that wasn't what Taichi was shocked about. Icy blue eyes met brown, the blue with a feral glint that made Taichi tremble in fear, and in _want_, as the brunette tried, panicked, to contain his own feelings of _want._ Yet still, that wasn't the thing that shocked Taichi so much that he was stunned, unable to move. The thing that left his mouth gaping open, which he didn't notice, because there was only one thing he _could_ notice.

Yama, his _Yama_, was naked.

Taichi thought for a second of pulling his eyes away from Yamato's, but couldn't find the strength in him to do it. The blonde slowing moved toward him and was draped his body, quite awkwardly, over the front of Taichi's desk, pulling himself slowly closer with one arm with the other gently cupping Taichi's face, stroking the brunette's jaw with his thumb. Taichi would have been content like this forever, but he felt guilty. Not only was he wondering _what in the hell_ had gotten into Yama's mind to make the blonde ditch his school uniform and act like this, but more prominent in Taichi's thoughts was the way Yamato lay so uncomfortably across the two desks. While the blue-eyed boy didn't seem to care, Taichi did. He didn't want to see the guy he liked being sore all through his body after lying like that.

The brunette reluctantly pulled away from Yamato's hand, still on his jaw, and lifted the blonde's thin, featherweight body off the desk, pulling the teenaged boy into his own lap. Yamato now sat very much like he had in the desk just a few moments earlier, legs around either side of the backrest, except this time was different. This time there was something between the blonde and the desk: a body. The toned, athletic body of one Yagami Taichi, a body that Yamato wanted very, very badly to be closer to.

The very same Yagami Taichi was having difficulty controlling himself. Why did Yama want this, want him, and _now?_ It didn't make sense. Still, he had little to complain about. The boy of his dreams was literally _on_ him, his face mere inches away, his body stark naked. He was about to completely give up control over his body when Yamato made the first move.

Swiftly, the blonde placed his lips on Taichi's, and when the brunette gasped in surprise, Yamato took the opportunity. Soon their tongues were melting together as Taichi forgot all his concerns. Hell, he was_ making out with Yama_. How could he think of anything else?

The lean boy's hands travelled down the other's muscular chest, tugging off his navy blazer and fumbling with the buttons on his dress shirt. _How did Yama get his clothes off so quickly?_ He was certainly not trying to take his time with Taichi's own clothes, but it was taking a while. Still, soon Tai's chest was completely exposed as the white cotton shirt slid off his shoulders, down his arms, off his body and out of sight. Yamato was kissing his chest, licking it, sliding his body off of Tai's and slinking underneath the table top of the desk. And only a moment after Tai realized what was going to happen, it happened. It seemed to only take an instant for Tai's pants to slide to his knees and Yamato to put his mouth…_ah_…_ahh…_

Then something snapped out of place. Not with what Yamato was doing to Tai, thankfully; but with the whole classroom. It was disappearing, disintegrating before Taichi's eyes. Then laughter filled his ears, and he opened his eyes… _Wait, my eyes were already open, why are they so heavy_… and he felt a hand on his shoulder, heard Yamato's voice in his ears coming from the desk in front of his… _this isn't right, this isn't what was happening, what the hell is going on?_

"Wake up, sleepyhead. Sounds like you had a good dream."

More snickering came from the other desks, now reoccupied by the students of Odaiba High School.

_Fuck._


	7. Chapter Six

Disclaimer: I totally own Digimon. They just gave me the rights to it. In fact, pretty soon Digimon 03 is gonna premiere, and it's gonna have the same characters as Adventure and 02, except they're all going to be blatantly gay. Like, even moreso than the "Sub-Zero Ice Punch" episode. And I'm the writer. I don't think it could be a kid's show anymore, though.

Actual Disclaimer: In case you can't detect sarcasm. I don't really own Digimon. I wish I did, though.

***

A Day in the Life - Chapter Seven

--*--

Taichi and Yamato took the bus to the mall together after school. Once they were done there, they would go back to Yamato's house for the night. Tai had accumulated a fairly substantial stash of his own clothing and various other possessions at the blonde's apartment; it was practically a second home to him. Tai was driving them to the mall, where Yamato would do some shopping, and from there they would drive a few short blocks back to Yamato's apartment.

"So, what were you dreaming about in Language Arts?" Yamato asked the brunette. "Did you see the look on Mrs. Sunn's face when she realized you had been asleep? It was hilarious."

"Yeah, it was great. I was surprised she wasn't very pissed, though," Tai replied. "And I never remember my dreams. I wish I could, because apparently I'm getting more action in them than I do in real life." he lied, trying to joke about it so that Yamato wouldn't suspect him of being dishonest.

"Hah. It's alright, one day we'll get up the nerve to find some pretty girls willing to help us on that one. What did you end up doing instead of Math, you skipper?"

"Like your fangirls? I'm the only one of us who's gonna have a little trouble finding a… person to be with. Oh, and I went home to pick up an essay I had to hand in late to Mrs. Sunn. Can't let the homework I actually do not get marked, you know?" This time, Tai sounded nervous. _What if he knows I'm making this up?_ He had never been the best liar.

And Yamato did pick up on it. Right as he was about to comment, the rumble of the beat-up Honda Civic's engine came to an abrupt stop. The brunette began cursing the 'piece of shit' with every obscenity he could think of.

"Uh, Tai, what just happened?" Yamato asked tentatively through the storm of swears.

"This pile of crap just broke down, is what happened. It's dead. You hear that, Car? You're dead to me. And you're dead to you, too. It's just plain dead, Yamato. I worked _so hard_ to get this car and now it's fucked."

"There's a mechanic's shop about two blocks from here, why don't we take it there?"

"I can't afford to fix it right now. Besides, it'll just break down again in a few weeks anyways. Wanna steer into the parking lane? I'll push." With that, the two boys climbed out of the car and Yamato plopped down into the driver's seat. Even though Taichi's car was junk, the blonde was still a little afraid that he might crash it, steer into the sidewalk, accidentally go in reverse and run over Taichi… every single hypothetical situation, no matter how unlikely, was now a major concern for Yamato.

Despite his fears, the boys successfully moved the car into a spot out of traffic, and Yamato successfully forgot about the worried tone in Taichi's voice.

--*--

"So, where do you want to go first?" Tai asked. The brunette didn't care much for the mall, but he loved seeing the happy expression on his best friend's face that occurred so often when the blonde was finding new clothes.

"Let's try D-Tox" Yamato replied. He needed a new pair of what he called his 'concert pants', since he had ripped a knee in his old ones during the Teenage Wolves' last concert.

They arrived at the 'punk' style store, finding it to be rather large, so the boys decided to 'divide and conquer' to find something for Yamato to wear.

"Anything tight-looking in a size 26," Yamato told Taichi. _Wow, Yama's small_. Tai hadn't really realized it so much before. The tiny blonde only reached the brunette's chin, being only five foot six. Taichi had had a growth spurt the summer before ninth grade; he hadn't noticed that his best friend had peaked in height before then.

The brunette glanced at Yamato to see the smaller boy's arms overflowing with clothes. Tai had only selected a few choice items: a pair of dark wash girl's skinny jeans that were faded on the front of the thigh, a pair of blood red guy's skinnies, and his personal favorite, a pair of low-rise skin-tight leather pants. Perhaps the last pair was more for his own indulgence in fantasy than Yamato's actual necessity, but the brunette wasn't entirely convinced Yamato would dislike them, either.

Grabbing a few more pairs of pants on the way, Yamato dragged Taichi to the fitting rooms. A girl with a bright pink bob and a septum piercing greeted them.

"How many items… oh, you're Yamato Ishida from the Teenage Wolves! Cool!"

"Twenty-two, and you're right, I am."

"Shit… you know, normally I'm only supposed to let you take in eight, but what the hell. I don't want to cause _you_ any inconvenience," she said, winking and twisting her key in the door of a larger fitting room at the end of the short hallway. "There you go!"

"Thank you… um," he squinted to read her name tag, "Mercedes. That's a pretty name… for a pretty girl."

She blushed. "Thanks… and it's no problem. Don't hesitate to ask if you need anything."

"I won't, thank you. Come on, 'Chi, there's a bench in here you can sit on." Yamato closed the door. Once Taichi sat down, Tai got nervous. _Yama would be changing._

"You know, I could've sat on that chair outside."

"Yeah, but you've seen me in my underwear plenty of times. It's no big deal." Yamato said, then dropped his voice to nearly a whisper, "Besides, I don't want to be fangirl ogled by that sales clerk every time I come out to get your opinion."

"I thought you were flirting with her!" Tai replied in the same low tone.

"Well, you have to be nice to the fans to their face. I can't have it getting out that Yamato Ishida actually doesn't like his fangirls. They'd be so disappointed." Yamato had a point, Tai supposed. He hadn't known that Yamato really disliked the attention that much, though. And it still didn't stop Yamato from being fan_boy _ogled, only less aware of it.

The first few pairs that Yamato tried on looked good on him, but nothing as stunning as he wanted it to be. Finally, he drew the leather pants from the pile. The blonde boy slipped them on, inspected himself in the mirror, and grinned.

"Did you pick these out, 'Chi? I don't remember grabbing them." Yamato was now facing Tai. The pants were indeed skin-tight, and when Yamato lifted his shirt to inspect the waistline, Tai could see the small teen's hip bones protruding from above it.

"Yeah, I think so," Tai muttered, blushing. "Like them?"

"Definitely. I didn't know you had it in you… Do you think they'll work for the next gig?"

"The fangirls will love them. Can you even move in those, though?"

Yamato stretched his legs out, proving to Taichi that he could, indeed, move. The room seemed to be getting warmer. Had Mercedes turned up the heat? It seemed to be shrinking. Tai was almost panting, trying to catch his breath.

"I, uh, gotta go to the washroom," Tai declared. "You should get those, though. I'll be back in a few." He practically bolted out of the room.

Once reaching the washroom, Tai sat himself down on a toilet, thinking. _Grandma Mitsuri. I don't like Yamato. Grandma Mitsuri in a bikini. I don't like Yamato. Gennai in a bikini. No! Old man Gennai! Old man Gennai! Not the young one. Fuck my mind. Fuck Yamato! Yeah, fuck Yamato... No! I don't like Yamato!_

Finally he calmed down and returned to D-Tox, finding Yamato at the counter buying the leather pants, along with another pair he had picked out himself. Mercedes was ringing it through, grinning. Tai could tell that Yamato had turned his for-the-fangirls charm back on.

"Coming to the gig next weekend, then?" he asked.

She giggled stupidly. "Definitely."

Tai knew that he'd be there, too. He usually tried to go to most of Yamato's gigs, but he knew he would also never miss his opportunity to see Yamato in those pants again.

***

Thanks to Sumi19 and Takato the Dreamer for reviewing!

PS. I wrote a chapter that is sort of connected to this story, but also sort of separate… it's when Ken goes to Yamato's band practice. I may or may not sense a sequel to this story, or a title change to make it a little more applicable to what I have planned. WE SHALL SEE, no? In the meantime, if you have any ideas for a title that would imply a story that spans more than just one name, tell me in a review! I'm thinking of "Devotion and Desire", after a Bayside song, or "Angels with Dirty Faces", after Sum 41.

Or possibly someone who reviews has a better idea, because I'm not overly ecstatic about either of those titles.


	8. Chapter Seven

A/N: Before you say "WTF, THIS CHAPTER IS IN 1st PERSON PERSPECTIVE, I HATE YOU"…you should know that it was intentional and I don't care. I wrote it like this and then again in 3rd person, but I liked this way better. Future chapters will return to the 3rd person perspective. This is non-negotiable. That is all.

***

A Day In The Life - Chapter Eight

--*--

~Tai's Point Of View~

"Please Taichi, let me try it?"

"No. No way. Not a chance in hell."

It had been like this for fifteen minutes after Yama and I got back from shopping. He was desperate to try out his expensive new toy – a hair straightener that he had picked up at the salon, which he was excited to try out now that he had replaced his "shitty little drugstore one". And who better to try it on than me? That was rhetorical, by the way. He should know by now that my hair is _untamable_ and only gets worse when someone gets the bright idea to 'fix' it.

"Pretty please with ice cream and cherries?" he said smiling, offering a saccharine smile and then collapsing in laughter.

I had to admit, his begging was really getting to me. Don't tell him that, though. He just looked so… _cute_ when he made his puppy dog eyes, insisting that if I didn't like it I could hop in the shower and it would be back to normal. _Maybe,_ I thought, _I'd take that bait if you'd shower with me, Yama_. I had to stop thinking like this! It's not normal. Okay, I know that with hormones, and the Kinsey scale, it's fairly normal, but that doesn't make it _right._ People don't approve of stuff like that, and I'm pretty sure Yamato is one of those people.

"Okay, you can try it. But you better not burn my hair all off! I can't imagine myself without it."

--*--

~Yamato's Point Of View~

"Oh my god, Taichi. You need to get a hair straightener. Like, right now. You look amazing."

Did I actually say that? God, I could feel the blush turning my cheeks pink already. I had to admit, though, that Tai did look great with his hair straight. It fell to about his shoulders, his bang covering part of his face. When he moved his head, it would catch the light and shimmer gorgeously. 'Amazing' hadn't been the first word I'd thought of, and it was pretty tame, considering the alternatives. A better fit would have been _beautiful,_ _sexy_, or even _totally fuckable._

And now my thoughts were making me blush. Fuckable? Yes, he was, but who was I to think that? I'll admit it wasn't my first time thinking such things, and about Taichi, too. The feelings were the same, but they had never been so strong before. I guess I normally just brushed it off as hormones, but since we were alone, there was more… _opportunity_, I suppose. _Ha, _I thought. _For a second, I considered it a possibility. Like that'll ever happen. Taichi is straight as an arrow._

"So, do I do you now?" Tai asked, grinning. _What?_ Okay, that can't be what he means. Calm yourself, Yama.

"Uh, what?" I asked, a little nervous.

"You know. Now it's my turn to do your hair."

I almost sighed in relief, until what he said finally struck me. _Nobody_, not even Taichi, _touches my hair._ But Tai rarely takes 'no' for an answer, either. So, I did what anyone who knows Tai well enough would do.

I bolted out of the room so fast, Tai wouldn't know what hit him.

You know, I regret never having been the 'athletic' type. Okay, so sometimes I can go for a jog or ride my bike around the neighborhood, but I've never really been huge into sports the way Taichi is. So, when I decided to run away from Tai, it was only a matter of time before the (sexy) little brunette caught up and tackled me from behind, to the floor in my living room. _Good thing for these carpets_. It was at least a little relief to not get a face full of tile, like my bathroom or kitchen would've been.

"Come on Yama, I let you do mine, it's the least you can do."

"But I've got product in. It would burn. I'd have to shower first. And then I'd have to fix it after, because you'd mess it up. Is that really how you wanna spend our _whole_ night?"

"Yes. Yes it is." he replied. God, Taichi could be so stubborn sometimes.

In a last attempt to save my precious locks, I tried to squirm away from Taichi. It was rather unsuccessful, I'd say. Or… maybe not.

He had been grabbing me around the knees, so that I couldn't stand up, and his face came up to my hip. But when I squirmed, he raced ahead of my and grabbed my wrist, flipping me onto my back so he could face me. And so he did. I just stared into his big brown eyes, flaked with gold hues in just the right places, shining in the same way his hair did after I straightened it. How did I never notice before? As I raced back to my earlier thoughts, it hit me. _Taichi is on top of me_.

I just froze as my mind went places I couldn't control. And while at first the blood rushed to my cheeks, I went ghostly pale soon after. I suppose that blood had other places to rush to.

My eyes stayed locked with Tai's, and I felt something brush against my thigh. _What?_ No, this wasn't happening. I guess Taichi thought the same thing.

He practically bolted off of me, his face a deep red.

"So, uh, I guess if you don't want me to, it's okay. I don't have to, we should just – uh, let's play Mario Kart." he muttered.

_Don't want him to? _Was he talking about my hair, or…? No. He was definitely talking about my hair. If he meant anything else, I didn't want to think about it.

I smiled. "Okay, but this time I get to be Yoshi."

I would be focusing on anything _but_ the game.

***

A/N: It wasn't that bad, was it? I hope not. I kind of like it.

Love always,

DarcyxDarkness


	9. Chapter Eight

A Day In The Life – Chapter Nine

--*--

Yamato was the first to break the awkward silence.

They had been playing Mario Kart on Tai's Nintendo 64, which he had leant to Yamato nearly a year ago, and the blonde had never gotten around to returning it. Taichi was over at Yamato's house more than his own, anyways; it made more sense to have it there. Neither was particularly focused on the race, however.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Taichi snickered before returning to his silence for a moment. Yamato felt stupid for bringing it up. Then, the brunette spoke.

"Want to talk about it? No. There are a million things I'd rather do before bringing that conversation up," he answered. The blonde wished he could let the ground swallow him whole. Why did he have to bring it up again? He opened his mouth to apologize, but Taichi cut him off.

"… but I think we need to. We can't leave it like this. There are too many unanswered questions that I'm sure are weighing on both of our minds. We need to figure it out."

Yamato breathed deeply, and then nodded in agreement. "So, where do we start?"

The silence returned. Taichi wondered if he should abandon his well-constructed plans for coming out and tell Yamato the truth. Maybe he could brush it off as something less than what it was. But the more he thought about it, the more he wondered if Yamato would try to do the same thing. Did it mean anything to the blonde boy? Clearly there was _something _there. No, Taichi needed to tell him the truth. A little earlier than he had planned, perhaps, but Yamato was his best friend. He deserved to know the truth about the Taichi.

"Yamato… I had wanted to tell you this later. I haven't got a plan for this one, Yama. I always knew I'd want to tell my family first, then you, and then the rest of them, I guess. I've only told Hikari, and that was just today. She's the only one that knows. I didn't mean for it to happen under these circumstances. I suppose I'm beating around the bush here, aren't I? What I'm saying, Yama, is that… I'm gay."

Yamato opened his mouth, half in shock and half in some failed attempt to offer Taichi some comforting confirmation that he didn't think any less of him. Before he could speak, though, Taichi placed a finger to his lips, shushing him.

"Wait, Yama. I'm not done. I'm really sorry about what happened earlier. I hope you'll forgive me when I blame it on the hormones and adrenaline, because I don't think that the alternative is even plausible, and I couldn't handle it if you hated me for it. I don't want to upset you, Yamato, but if me being… this way… is too much for you to handle, I can give you some space. Just, don't expect me to disappear." Tai concluded, a huge range of emotions flooding his face, ending in a saddened smile.

"'Chi," Yamato started in a whisper, unsure of his words. Tai had said it all, laid all his cards face up on the table for Yamato to see. And the blonde was considering lying, brushing it off as a rush of adrenaline. But he had the Crest of Friendship, for god's sake. He couldn't watch his friend unveil his deepest secrets to him and then cop out. That wasn't what their friendship had been reduced to… was it?

"Chi," he repeated, louder. "If I hated you, I'd be a complete and total hypocrite. You just seem more certain of it, more… comfortable about it than I am. I guess this is all fairly new to me – I've liked girls, I still like girls, but I feel those same feelings around guys, too. I suppose the word is 'bisexual', though somehow I have a bit of trouble… _labeling_ myself like that. I'd never considered telling anyone before. I don't think I've reached that point yet. As for tonight, like you said: hormones. I can't help it if you're… attractive, and I mean, we're so close. It's only natural, right?" he confessed, searching in desperation for some kind of confirming signal from Taichi that his feelings were justifiable. But instead of reassuring his best friend, Tai looked dumbfounded.

Instead of replying, Tai stared for what seemed like an eternity into the blonde's crystal-clear ocean blue eyes. It was starting to scare Yamato. "Tai, would you cut that out? You're starting to freak me out."

Tai continued. But then he spoke, just loud enough that the blonde could barely hear him.

"…you think I'm attractive?" There was skepticism in his voice, but Yamato was almost certain he heard a distinct tone of hope in his friend's voice, too. It made the blonde boy wonder…

"Yes. I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Taichi was definitely grinning now. "You're pretty easy on the eyes yourself, Yama."

Yama blushed, and a light bulb flicked on in Tai's mind. "Yamato, I know this is new to you – it's new to both of us. I know it's probably a bad idea. I mean, most of my ideas aren't that great, but… I want to work through things with you. I want to be there for you. We're best friends; we tell each other everything and share everything. I don't know if either of us could stand the social… connotations of this by ourselves. Well, I mean…"

"'Chi, you're rambling again. Spit it out."

Tai grinned nervously, wondering what in the hell was compelling him to do what he was now about to do. He got down on one knee before Yamato, and cupped the blonde's left hand in both of his own. Yamato blushed.

"Yama, will you be my 'friend-with-benefits'? I feel like it's too soon to say 'boyfriends', because we just figured all of this out but, well, I really just want to kiss you right now. You're so cute when you blush."

Yamato blushed deeper, and then nodded. Slowly the brunette stood up from the floor and sat on the blonde's legs, his knees on either side of Yamato's hips. With both of his hands, Taichi cupped his best friend's face and guided it forwards to meet his own. Their lips latched together for what seemed to be a long time and they could taste the smiles on each other's faces before the brunette finally pulled away to catch his breath.

"Yeah," the blonde replied breathlessly, "friends with benefits."

***

This chapter pretty much goes out to Takato The Dreamer, who is too fucking nice for my own good. If I could give you a super big amazing bear-hug, I totally would.

Thanks also to Yammi231 too, for reviewing. Your name made me think of "twenty-three is number one!" like in Zelda: Ocarina.

Sorry the chapter was kind of short. Oh, and the next chapter will be the end of the day. This means A Day in the Life will be over. So, seriously guys, I'm indecisive: title change or sequel?

Love always,

XDarcyDarknessx


	10. Chapter Nine

A Day in the Life – Final Chapter

Warning: I think this chapter requires a restatement of the warning from the beginning. This chapter contains language, boy x boy "lovin'" (not really 'love', but for the purposes of the warning, you get it), and other drama that I will classify as "mature themes".

***

"I think we need to set up some guidelines, before we get carried away."

Tai pulled himself away from Yamato. Trust the blonde boy to think rationally when anyone else would be going crazy.

"What kind of guidelines?"

"Well, first of all, I don't want to do anything I'm not comfortable with." Yamato looked nervous. _Does he really think I'm going to force him into something he doesn't want to do?_ Tai was beginning to doubt his idea would come without consequences. It seemed like his best friend didn't trust him already.

"Okay," the brunette agreed. "What are you not comfortable with?"

"I… I don't want… I don't want it in my _mouth_." Taichi almost laughed out loud, but Yamato looked scared enough as it was. In all honesty, Tai was a little disappointed. _I guess my dream isn't going to come true after all. _"And if one of us says we want to stop, we have to stop." the blonde added.

"Alright. I can live with that. Is there anything else?"

"N-nothing weird, I guess. Like, you haven't got any ridiculous fetishes you're not telling me about, right?"

"So I guess you giving me a blowjob, in those leather pants you bought today, is out of the question, right?" Tai joked.

_Wrong answer._

Yamato looked as if he were on the verge of tears. "Why can't you take this seriously, Tai? I just don't want anything bad to happen to us!"

"Nothing bad is going to happen to us."

"You say that now," Yamato muttered, "but what happens if one of us falls for the other? What if one of us finds someone else? Are we allowed to see other people, if all we are is _friends with benefits_? I couldn't stand to see you with anyone else. Not if I lose my virginity to you. I can't let it be meaningless, 'Chi, but I'm willing to try. You just have to _try_ to understand what I want, too."

"What _do_ you want, Yamato?"

"I want you to promise me that no matter what happens, you'll always be my best friend."

"I promise, Yamato."

"So that'll be the second guideline. Nothing that happens between us will break up our friendship," Yamato said, smiling.

"One more thing," Tai added. "Even if we're not really dating, I don't want to see _you _with other people, either. Yama… would you – would you stop messing around with the fangirls?"

Yamato kissed his friend gingerly on the cheek. "Anything, for you."

Tai leaned forward and captured Yamato's lips with his own. Pulling away, he asked.

"Was that all you had to say? Or…"

"That's all. Now, where were we?" He laced his hands together behind the brunette's neck, pulling him back into the kiss.

Pulling away for a second time, Yamato stood and grabbed Taichi by the wrists and gently tugged him up off of the couch. Silently, he led the brunette towards a different room, but one his friend knew well. After all, Taichi practically _lived_ at the blonde's apartment. Turning to face his friend while walking backwards, the small blonde teen sat down on his bed. Still standing in front of Yamato, Tai leant down to kiss his friend.

Yamato slid his hand under Taichi's white button-down shirt. Rubbing his best friend's stomach, he could feel the subtle dips and rises where he knew he would see muscles if he could only rid Tai of the shirt. With his free hand, he fumbled with the bottom button, then worked his way up, snaking his hand up to touch Tai's left nipple. The brunette moaned.

After a short while, the brunette's chest was fully exposed. He shrugged the shirt off his shoulders and Yamato pulled it down his arms and off of Taichi's body.

The blonde broke their kiss, moving down to his friend's neck. Hitting a tender spot, Taichi moaned.

"Not… fair," the brunette stuttered out. "Take yours off."

"You take it off," the blonde replied, annoyed. How was he supposed to keep his hands on Taichi while taking off his shirt? And what was his friend doing? _Sitting back and letting himself be kissed and felt up, that's what. He could at least… participate a little._

Tai nervously began to unbutton Yamato's own shirt. "I've wanted this for so long," he whispered in the blonde's ear. "I've wanted you." Pulling the blonde's shirt down, he felt his friend gasp in shock as he ran his fingers up his sides.

Yamato grasped Taichi's shoulders and pulled the brunette down on top of him. Suddenly they were in the same situation as they had been earlier on the living room floor, Tai on top of Yamato, each feeling the other's excitement through the school pants they still wore.

The brunette let his hands wander all over Yamato's body, trying to feel every part of him. He wanted to remember what this felt like, forever. The blonde boy's breathing hitched as Taichi's hands roamed between his thighs.

Tai smirked, letting his left hand run over the bulge in his friend's navy blue trousers. Pulling away, he carefully undid the two buttons at Yamato's hips before unzipping his fly. Yamato arched upwards to let Taichi continue undressing him.

The tanned boy was struck by an overwhelming lust for his paler counterpart. Yamato had always been his best friend, and that was all Taichi ever saw him as. Seeing the nearly-naked teenaged boy before him, Taichi couldn't see his best friend. He saw an object – a blonde hair, blue-eyed doll that would go to the end of the world for him. It was a person who wanted Taichi as much as Taichi wanted him, and Tai _wanted him._

The brunette yanked down his own pants in one motion, not bothering with buttons and zippers, followed soon by his boxers. He pulled down Yamato's own briefs harshly, too; leaving the blonde wondering what had become of their foreplay. Taichi flipped the blonde boy onto his stomach, grabbed his hips and positioned himself. Finally, the blonde boy seemed to react.

Yamato's body tensed. His heart raced. _What's happening? What's he trying to do?_

"Stop it."

Tai pushed himself into Yamato and the blonde winced in pain. "'Chi, I said stop it!"

"You don't mean that." the brunette argued, almost pleading. "Just wait. It'll get better." He thrust himself the rest of the way in and Yamato cried out in pain.

"Taichi, stop! You're hurting me!" The blonde tried to squirm away, but Taichi kept thrusting in and out of him.

"It'll get better, I know it will. Trust me." The blonde couldn't deny that mixed with the pain there was a strange feeling that was almost pleasurable. He just didn't know if the pain was worth it. However, his friend seemed adamant that it would start to feel better. He stopped protesting as Taichi continued his actions.

It didn't seem to get much better, but at least it was over rather quickly. The tanned boy came into him, and Yamato was glad it was over with. Sex hadn't been exactly what he had expected.

The blonde felt a pang of guilt when the brunette rolled off of him, snuggling up beside him on top of the covers. Why couldn't he just enjoy it with Taichi? He dreaded Taichi wanting to do it for a second time.

Yamato stared at the posters on the walls of his room, though he already knew them well. It was much more comfortable like this, with his best friend holding him lovingly, comforting him, and protecting him. _Why couldn't the sex have been this perfect?_ He felt Taichi's fingers stroke his jaw tenderly, gingerly pressing a finger to each of the blonde's eyelids, trying to coax him into sleep.

"Why are you crying, Yama?"

Had he been crying? He hadn't realized it. "It's okay, Tai. Go to sleep."

At first, Tai seemed alright with this, relaxing a little bit. Then he pulled away from Yamato.

"I hurt you, didn't I?"

"…Yes."

"I'm sorry. I'll try to go slower next time."

"I told you to stop. We made a deal, Taichi. You said you'd stop if I needed you to. But you wouldn't stop…" Yamato was crying harder now.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't control myself… I wasn't acting like myself. I should have listened to you. I just got caught up in it, that's all."

"Don't you get it, Taichi? It's not _about_ sex to me. Fuck, I can get that whenever I want. So could you, you know, if you really wanted. But you're my best friend. I guess I thought it would mean a little more to you. I guess I _wanted_ it to mean something to you. It was my first time, and yours too for as far as I know. Isn't it supposed to be special or important or something? I didn't even like it. I was so glad when it was over."

"Well, what did you expect from me, Yamato? You know you're not my boyfriend. We're not in a relationship or anything. What do you want, for me to tell you I love you and that I'll never leave you, 'let's grow old together' and all that cliché bullshit? That was never what I bargained for."

"You think I don't know that? I know you're not my boyfriend and that you don't love me as your lover, but you have to love me as your friend, 'Chi! I don't _need_ sex, I don't need any of it, but I went along with it because you are my _best friend_ and I love you as my best friend. I guess I always thought you'd be there to protect me when stupid jerks like Francis made me want to shrivel up and die. That's why I wasn't in Biology; Francis called me a faggot. That kid in the showers did, too. He punched me and called me names. Maybe I was stupid for expecting you to stand up for me. You're just never there until it's too late. And this time, you're the one that hurt me."

Yamato was facing Taichi. He wrapped his arms around the tanned boy's waist and buried his head into his bare shoulder, soaking it with salty tears. The brunette was shocked, but he rubbed his hands soothingly on his best friend's upper back.

"I'm sorry, Yama. I do love you, and I'm so sorry if I made you doubt that." Tai looked so ashamed. "I'm just not ready to protect you."

"How could you not be?" Yamato was angry. _He's ready to fuck me, but he doesn't care enough when I'm hurt to stand up for me. I'll keep getting hurt and lying to him about it and I'll just learn to deal because he won't protect me from them. _

"Yama, don't you realize how difficult this is for me? Not to sound rude, but I'm not the one they expect to be gay. I'm the captain of the fucking soccer team. I'm going to get a scholarship to go to college next year. If they found out… the coach would kick me off the team. Even if he didn't, the rest of them would hate me. I'd lose everything. And they'd blame it on you. I'm scared for you, Yammie. I'm afraid they'd blame you for the way I am if they saw us together. I'm not ready to be your boyfriend, not yet. Not how you want me to be."

Yamato hadn't thought of it that way before. Yes, he supposed that being the make-up wearing, scrawny outcast at school probably made him a likely candidate to be made fun of, and the high school population wasn't intelligent enough to think of insults that weren't based on sexuality. The blonde didn't feel afraid for himself, like Taichi did, but for his best friend. He also knew that Tai was trying to protect him. _And I thought he was ashamed to be with me._

Taichi had always been his protector. When Yamato needed time or space, he let him have it. When he needed a shoulder to cry on, Tai was there for him. When he needed someone to help him snap back to reality, he always had a friend he could depend on. What had he ever given back to Tai? _I've stopped him from making new friends. I've got a monopoly on his social life. And I load all my problems onto him to let him handle them._

"'Chi," Yamato's voice was shaky, but his tone was assertive and confident. "I'll keep trying, if you want me to. We can still be 'friends with benefits'. I'm sorry if I ruined this night for you."

Taichi smiled. "You're amazing, Yamato. And I promise I'll never hurt you again."

"You need to use some fucking lubricant next time," Yamato said, cracking a smile. "I can't believe you didn't know that."

"I thought it was like… oh, never mind. Are we good? I'm kinda tired."

"We're good. Go to sleep, Tai."

"I love you," the brunette said, kissing the tip of Yamato's nose.

"I love you too, Taichi. Goodnight." The blonde pulled the sheets and blanket over himself and his best friend.

Yamato never knew that Taichi didn't mean to say he loved the blonde as more than just a friend. The brunette knew that he could never leave Yamato. He wanted to hold him in his arms forever and grow old with him. But he couldn't tell him that, not yet.

He didn't want to hurt the blonde.

And Taichi never knew that Yamato meant the very same thing.

The two boys fell asleep in Yamato's bed, snuggled tightly together.

Yamato squinted at the bright intrusion, scowling in his half-awake daze. So much had happened in the past twenty-four hours. His world would be changed forever. Taichi was still asleep, looking so calm and peaceful next to him. The blonde rubbed his eyes and smiled. He was ready to greet the new day.

--*--

Yamato Ishida curled up closer to the toned body next to him. He could smell his lover's hair, and was intoxicated on its scent. Everything was perfect. The blonde teen felt secure and safe in his best friend's arms.

He opened his eyes reluctantly and sat up a little. He wanted to watch Taichi sleep. He had seen the brunette sleeping before, but never before had he looked so calm, so at peace. A small smile graced Tai's lips, and seeing it made Yamato smile, too.

The sleeping boy began to stir. Yamato ran a pale hand through his friend's chestnut brown hair as Tai opened his eyes. Seeing Yamato, his smile grew wider. He opened his mouth. His voice was so beautiful…

"Yamato, I love you."

The blonde boy smiled wider. His dream was coming true. It might not be this perfect forever, but he would let this moment last for as long as he could.

THE END.

***

That's it! It's done!

Except for the sequel, so it's not _really _done. You didn't think I'd leave it like that, did you?. I'll post the first chapter for it within the next two weeks. Yay!

It's gonna be called "Devotion And Desire", and while I don't have the _first_ chapter written, I started on the _second_ one because I'm an idiot like that and I do things out of order. I also started it before starting the last chapter of A Day in the Life because I was procrastinating. Fun!

I'd give you a preview, but anything I put would probably be waaaaay too much of a spoiler. Basically the whole chapter I wrote so far is one big drama. I love drama!

So, if you want an adequate preview that's not a huge spoiler, I suggest that you look up the lyrics to Devotion and Desire. And if you're feeling really ambitious, download the song. Actually, download the acoustic version. Acoustic makes me happy.

***

Oh, joy. I just checked my email and got a review telling me to just change the title and keep going with it. Sorry, RavenAngelxX. I also agree with your comment about grammar. I'm definitely not a fan of stories that butcher the English language; I try to avoid it most of the time.

Awe, Takato, you want a title change too? I guess I epic fail on the "doing what the reviewers ask" front.

I'm going with Moppy's vote for a sequel. By the way, I'm glad I kicked off your long weekend! I hope I kick off your, um, Wednesday with this one. Or is it Thursday over there? Either way, have a gooder! Oh, and sorry I didn't meet your challenge to incorporate whipped cream. I'll try and fit it into the sequel, k?

InsaneYuki, it was totally my first anime too! I'm pretty sure Digimon was the best part of growing up in the 90's.

Sumi19, you're too nice. Thanks for reviewing 


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